Providing an Aggregate Display of Contact Data from Internal and External Sources

1. A method for aggregating contact data of a user, comprising: receiving a user-defined request to obtain contact data from a plurality of sources, wherein a specific type of content to obtain from each of the plurality of sources is specified in the user-defined request; obtaining contact data associated with at least one contact from the plurality of sources, including at least an internal source and an external source; processing the contact data to generate an aggregated collection of contact data, wherein processing the contact data further comprises receiving a user-defined preference order for the plurality of sources and providing the aggregated collection of contact data for presentation in ranked order according to the user-defined preference order in the display of the aggregated collection of contact data for a particular source of the plurality of sources; storing the aggregated collection of contact data; and accessing a memory and presenting a display of the aggregated collection of contact data in a single, interactive interface for each contact of the at least one contact, wherein the aggregated collection of contact data displayed for each contact is obtained from the plurality of sources and includes a scheduling assistant integrated with calendar and location information that is updated as the calendar and location information is updated at the internal or external source; and displaying a profile link for each of the plurality of sources from which contact data was obtained, the profile link providing a link to a view of all of the contact data for a particular source of the plurality of sources.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining contact data from the internal source includes obtaining contact data from an active directory, a global address list (GAL), local personal information manager contacts, and web application contacts.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining contact data from the external source includes obtaining contact data from a third party service capable of integrating contact data into the aggregated collection of contact data.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining contact data from the external source includes obtaining contact data from social and business networking sites.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the processing the contact data to generate the aggregated collection of contact data comprises processing contact data entered and stored by the user, the contact data entered and published by the at least one contact, and the contact data maintained externally.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining contact data associated with the at least one contact from the plurality of sources comprises updating contact data when the external source changes the contact data at the external source.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the processing the contact data to generate the aggregated collection of contact data further comprises defining a set of contact data associated with the at least one contact to show in aggregate.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining contact data associated with the at least one contact from the plurality of sources further comprises receiving input from the user identifying the contact data to obtain from each source compatible with a predetermined contact schema.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining contact data associated with the at least one contact from the plurality of sources further comprises retrieving a profile for each source listed as a profile property when the contact data from at least one source is not aggregated to allow the user to search the source for unaggregated contact data for additional information.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the accessing the aggregated collection of contact data to present the display of the aggregated collection of contact data in the single, interactive interface further comprises displaying at least one of the contact data includes an indication showing the source of the contact data.

11. A system for aggregating contact data of a user, comprising: memory for storing data; and a processor, coupled to the memory, the processor configured to receive a user-defined request to obtain contact data from a plurality of sources, wherein a specific type of content to obtain from each of the plurality of sources is specified in the user-defined request, to obtain the contact data associated with at least one contact from the plurality of sources, including at least an internal source and an external source, to process the contact data to generate an aggregated collection of contact data, to store the aggregated collection of contact data and to present a display of the aggregated collection of contact data in a single, interactive interface for each contact of the at least one contact, wherein the aggregated collection of contact data displayed for each contact is obtained from the plurality of sources and includes a scheduling assistant integrated with calendar and location information that is updated as the calendar and location information is updated at the internal or external source and a profile link for each of the plurality of sources from which the contact data was obtained, the profile link providing a link to a view of all of the contact data for a particular source of the plurality of sources, and wherein the processor is configured to generate and display the aggregated collection of contact data according to a use-defined preference order for the sources.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the contact data from the internal source includes an active directory, a global address list (GAL), local personal information managed contacts, and web application contacts and wherein the contact data from the external source includes the contact data from a third party service capable of integrating contact data into the aggregated collection of contact data.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the contact data comprises the contact data entered and stored by the user, the contact data entered and published by the at least one contact, and the contact data maintained externally.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the processor monitors the plurality of sources to update the contact data when a source changes the contact data.

15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the processor obtains the contact data based on a user-defined set of contact data compatible with a predetermined contact schema.

16. The system of claim 11 , wherein the processor retrieves a profile for each source listed as a profile property when the contact data from at least one source is not aggregated to allow the user to search the source for unaggregated contact data for additional information.

17. The system of claim 11 , wherein the processor presents the display of the aggregated collection of contact data in the single, interactive interface, wherein at least one of the contact data in the display includes an indication showing the source of the contact data.

18. A computer storage memory device including executable instructions which, when executed by a processor, perform a method for aggregating contact data of a user, by: receiving a user-defined request to obtain contact data from a plurality of sources, wherein a specific type of content to obtain from each of the plurality of sources is specified in the user-defined request; obtaining contact data associated with at least one contact from the plurality of sources, including at least an internal source and an external source; processing the contact data to generate an aggregated collection of contact data, wherein processing the contact data further comprises receiving a user-defined preference order for the plurality of sources and providing the aggregated collection of contact data for presentation in ranked order according to the user-defined preference order in the display of the aggregated collection of contact data for a particular source of the plurality of sources; storing the aggregated collection of contact data; and accessing the aggregated collection of contact data to present a display of the aggregated collection of contact data in a single, interactive interface for each contact of the at least one contact, wherein the aggregated collection of contact data displayed for each contact is obtained from the plurality of sources and includes a scheduling assistant integrated with calendar and location information that is updated as the calendar and location information is updated at the internal or external source and a profile link for each of the plurality of sources from which contact data was obtained, the profile link providing a link to a view of all of the contact data for a particular source of the plurality of sources.

19. The computer storage memory device of claim 18 , wherein the contact data comprises the contact data entered and stored by the user, the contact data entered and published by the at least one contact, and the contact data maintained externally.

20. The computer storage memory device of claim 18 , wherein the processor monitors the plurality of sources to update the contact data when a source changes the contact data.